A Man Who'll do to Ride the River With

Read this today and it made quite the impact.  It caused me to wonder not only if I have been this kind of friend, but also if I can count such a one among those I hold dear.

There is little more I can add to this article, other than to say I have wished for such a companion as described here.  And, as a goal, I aspire to be a person who will "do to ride the river with."

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By Stephen Bly

   1944 - 2011

Copyright©1993, 2009

In the Old West, a person’s reputation often meant the difference between survival and death. So, it was a guarded commodity.

For many cowboys, his reputation was the only thing of value he could rightly call his own. Lots of terms sprang up that described a man of good character. One of the more meaningful became the phrase “he’ll do to ride the river with,” the highest compliment paid to a cowman.

Back in the days of trail drives, cowboys had to swim thousands of heads of cattle across swollen and dangerous rivers. To make it across required riders of exceptional skill, courage, and level-headed thinking. You quickly learned who you could trust to ride those rivers with you.

You may have wished for that sort of companion.
A good decision maker...
One who keeps commitments...
A friend who stays cool in a crisis...
A partner who helps you cross the stream of trials, the river of troubles...
Someone who’s a stander, not a runner...
A person of faith who seeks God’s wisdom.

It’s a great goal for which to aim yourself: become a person who’ll do to ride the river with.

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Has there been that kind of friend for you?

Have you been that sort of friend for another?

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